Chill History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The Anglo-Saxon name Chill comes from when its first bearer worked as a military officer in the 10th century, probably comparable to a modern sergeant. In the Old English, it was rendered cild, which meant child. It was applied to the rank above the common soldier in that period, probably because they were in charge of "children." Later, in the 13th and 14th centuries, it came to denote a young man in training for the knighthood.

Early Origins of the Chill family

The surname Chill was first found in Hertfordshire. However, some of the family were found at Wanstead in Essex in later years. "The village is situated on the borders of Waltham Forest, near the main road from London to Cambridge; and is principally worthy of note as the site of Wanstead House, built in 1715, by Sir Richard (son of Sir Josiah) Child, created Viscount Castlemain in 1718, and Earl of Tylney in 1731. This splendid mansion was considerably enlarged and embellished by his descendants, and was surrounded by a very extensive park, laid out with great taste, and interspersed with gardens, pleasure-grounds, and grottos." 1

The name is derived from "the son and heir in noble and royal families. The word was employed by Spenser, and in the old ballads, as the "Childe of Elle," "Child Waters," &c. See English Surn. i. 214. In Domesday Book, the epithet Cild or Cilt is applied to several persons of distinction. Le Child. " 2

The Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I. lists Godwin Child, Berkshire, Henry III-Edward I. 3 Later the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Brian le Child, Cambridgeshire; and Walter le Child, Oxfordshire. and later again, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls listed Robertus Childe as holding lands there at that time. 4

In Scotland, the name is derived "from the Old English personal name Cild. The 'exact sense of the name is uncertain. The singular is used as a title of honour in late Old English times and this is found also throughout the Middle Ages, as in Childe Roland'. It was synonymous with enfant in France. Henricus Child was canon of Scone c. 1275. James Chyld was canon of Monymusk, 1549. Robert Cheild, burgess of Dundee, 1564. 5

Early History of the Chill family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chill research. Another 148 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1280, 1379, 1606, 1630, 1638, 1642, 1660, 1673, 1674, 1677, 1684, 1690, 1697, 1698, 1699, 1702, 1703, 1705, 1708, 1713, 1715, 1721, 1740 and 1784 are included under the topic Early Chill History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chill Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Chill include Child, Childe, Childs, Childes and others.

Early Notables of the Chill family

Notables of the family at this time include William Child (1606-1697), an English composer and organist, First Organist of the Chapel Royal (1660-1697); and Sir John Child, 1st Baronet (died 1690), Governor of Bombay, first governor-general of the British settlements in India.John Child (1638?-1684), was a Baptist preacher, born at Bedford about 1638, apprenticed to a handicraft; after a while he adopted another calling, and removed to Newport Pagnel, Buckinghamshire. 6Sir Josiah Child of Wanstead, 1st Baronet (1630-1699), was an English merchant, economist proponent of mercantilism and Governor of the East India Company; he purchased Wanstead House in Essex in 1673...
Another 101 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Chill Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chill Ranking

In the United States, the name Chill is the 17,831^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7

Chill migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Chill or a variant listed above:

Chill Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Aug. Chill, aged 25, German settler who arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "Dresden" 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Chill (post 1700) +

Chill Theodore Wills (1903-1978), American Academy Award nominated film actor and singer

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Germans to America retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from Glazier, Ira. A., and Filby, P. William. Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports. Vol. 62, Scholarly Resources Inc, 2082